Carpe Diem
by Pink Kunai
Summary: RE-UPLOADED Strangers – that was what they started out as, a band of continuously growing strangers. But somewhere in between all the fighting they had learned to become more – friends. FK MS
1. Album

**Album**

Marie sat down on her bed, pillows propped up behind her, as she flipped through her photo album. Inside was a collection of photos from when they were children until now when they were all about to leave their teen. Most of her photos were just of her and Fu, and the rare one had Shao, who adamantly refused photos. The mattress to her left sunk as another weight joined her on the bed.

"I didn't know you kept an album" Shao said as he peered over her arm at the book. Marie cautiously flipped another page.

"That's because you were always so camera shy" the Chinese boy grunted as he browsed through the first years of their lives together at Elmore Wood.

"I remember that" Shao said as he pointed at a picture of them outside building snowmen. Marie smiled at the memory.

"Yeah Fu burnt my snowman to the ground" the girl recalled fondly, earning a snort from the older boy.

"She was just jealous that yours was better"

"I know" the girl said, her smile never leaving her face. Marie was shook out of her reverie when Shao bumped her with his side. She looked up at him, noticing an odd twinkle in his eye.

"I seem to remember that you had quite an arm on you" Shao said. Marie laughed, a sound so musical that Shao wished the two could spend all day together looking at this album, if only to hear her laugh again.

"Well I wouldn't quite use the word arm" she said, her voice devious. In companionable silence the two continued to lose themselves to the memories.

"I miss this" Marie commented offhandedly as she looked at a picture of the five of them, young, happy, impressionable...and baking cookies. Shao glanced over at her quickly before the girl's door burst open and Van's blonde head poked in.

"Hey, Kyle and Fu are back from the grocery store, we're making cookies!" he said exuberantly before ducking back out. Shao got up off the bed and extended a hand back to her. Marie gladly grabbed it and the two descended to the massive kitchen where flour had already begun to flutter in the air. Before Shao could react an egg had cracked on the side of his face, leaving Frederica and Kyle howling with laughter. The two didn't have long before they were also covered in the gooey substance, Marie smiling lightly at the door next to Shao, a camera floating to her left and a dozen eggs to her right.

"I have a good arm" she boasted, winking at him.


	2. Darkness

Darkness 

Not normal, this darkness was not normal. As if someone had sucked the light out of the sky, so the horizon darkened, taking with it any hope Frederica had. She glanced to her right, where Kyle was, yelling at him, telling him, it wasn't normal, this darkness.

"We can't stop" she muttered, not normal, this darkness, not normal, but they can't break from the plan, otherwise, Shao was finished and Marie was finished, unacceptable, she couldn't let that happen, not Marie, she was light, not darkness.

Her gaze shifted to the sky above her and then back to Kyle, still quite a distance away from her. Then it came, the light, was it suppose to hurt?

Yes.

But Kyle was safe, he had Material High, he was far away, he wasn't the one that delivered the final blow, he wasn't the target.

It's okay.

This darkness, it was normal, this darkness, it was her fading, normal, darkness, cold, not the ice, she had melted that.

Sleep.

Normal, sleep she commanded her body, sleep, its normal, this darkness.


	3. Distraction

**Distraction **

"Quick, distract her!" Ageha yelled pushing Kyle in the direction of the fuming Frederica, who was stalking her way up to the pair.

"What do you want me to do?" Kyle whispered angrily back towards his idol as the girl continued to get closer.

"Anything!" was the desperate reply. When Kyle turned back around, Frederica was already right in front of him and before his brain could catch up to his body he grabbed her. His hands on either side of her face and his lips pressed fiercely against hers. The girl resisted in the beginning, but eventually let herself get lost in the feelings that Kyle was already bound to. When the two finally broke for air – their chests heaving and breaths mingling from the proximity – did Kyle notice that Ageha was still rooted to his spot, his mouth agape.

"Why are you still here?" was Kyle's skeptical question. Ageha's jaw slowly closed, before he glared angrily at the boy.

"You weren't supposed to distract me too!"


	4. Patience

**Patience**

"You're up early, that's surprising, you're training, that's even more surprising" a light girl's voice taunted from the gym bleachers. The sweat rolled down his temple and he swiped at it quickly as he got up from his stance.

"You shouldn't be up" he said, his tone was for once angry.

"I can do whatever I want and I don't need your permission first" she answered haughtily.

"It's good to know that wound isn't stopping your bitching" he muttered. There was a scoff, as she stepped down towards him. Her right hand cradled the left side of her body and Kyle flinched involuntarily.

"Stop it" she commanded, "all this self-loathing is annoying"

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" he roared, though his reaction didn't seem to faze Frederica in the least. Kyle punched the nearby wall in frustration, "what did I do all my training for?" he turned and kicked a practice dummy.

"You did what you were suppose to do, it was an accident, you were always stupid, but I don't doubt that you did all you could out there"

"All I could? _All I could_ almost killed Marie, _all I could_, is the reason you have that wound" he whipped around until he was finally facing her.

"It's just a scar now" she said and Kyle's hand slowly traced around the white patch that now marred his face, and suddenly he could recall all the pain he went through, it was mind numbing. He was shook out of his reverie when a small warm hand closed over his – the one that was slowly tracing his scar. In a rare moment of intimacy Frederica had pulled him into a hug, her arms slung high to accommodate the height difference. With her shirt pulled higher, Kyle's hands that hung loosely around her hips started to trace her scar. The shiver that ran through her body had nothing to do with the temperature and all to do with their proximity.

"Have some patience you stupid monkey" she quipped her eyes closed as she leaned closer, "we've lived through the day of rebirth and we can live through this"

"I'm sorry, for yesterday...for right now"

"Yeah, well" the girl mused pulling back from him, "you wouldn't be you if you weren't running head first into things"

"I guess I'm just a stupid hyperactive monkey like that"


	5. Pride

**Pride**

"Can you help me" Frederica mumbled, her head was downcast and she refused to look Kyle in the eye. Leaning in closely, one hand cupped around his ear, the boy asked her to repeat herself. Her hand shot out faster than he could anticipate.

"Ow, sheesh okay, what's up?" he asked again, bursting out in that infectious grin of his.

"I want to improve my Strength Rise" she said, her voice was low again and a blush was on her face.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about" he said touching her shoulder, "and thanks, you know for trusting me to help you" he clarified at her confused look. She shrugged his hand off, fighting down the blush that threatened to overcome her completely.

"Yeah, well Shao's a terrible teacher" she replied nonchalantly.

"I beg to differ" a deep voice echoed from the opening of the training room, "oh by the way Frederica, you might want to wipe the floor, your prides all over it" Kyle was smart enough to sandwich himself inside his material high as the battle erupted around him, not too inclined to help the losing Frederica.

But, Kyle thought, as he watched the girl skid across the room from a well placed kick, Shao hadn't been on his play nice list either.


	6. Scars

**Scars**

Kyle traced the scar on his face idly as he sat through one of granny's dinners again. The world was finally at peace and parents began showing up at their house like they were enrolling for school. This dinner party was just the beginning of many.

"Stop tugging at your collar like that, its distasteful" Frederica commented as she walked up to him, drink in hand.

"It's annoying" he muttered in reply as he watched a few more people gaze at his scar. His hand went to cover it when Frederica smacked his hand down.

"Even monkeys can stop moving for longer than you can" she chided, "go ask Marie to dance or something, Shao could use the break" and as the blonde began to walk away she paused for a second so she could stare back at him.

"I think scars are sexy by the way" she called back, winking, before sauntering off.


	7. Secrets

**Secrets**

Marie rolled uncomfortably off her bed as sleep continued to elude her. With her back on the chilly floor, she gazed in frustration at the ceiling. It was as she contemplated getting back into her warm bed, that she heard two whispering voices. Being as discreet as possible she crept downstairs towards the light and noise.

"You're the one who made me stay up to watch this, you don't get to sleep" Frederica murmured irritably jabbing him in the chest with her elbow for good measure. Marie peeked further into the room to see that the other occupant of the couch was none other than Kyle. The two were curled up on the couch, Kyle slowly dozing off.

"Mm, you're like a pillow and a heater all in one, it's hard not to sleep" he responded, pulling her closer by the hips and burying his face into the crook of her neck for emphasis. Frederica pinched his arm, but unlike every other interaction Marie had seen of the two, the blonde didn't say anything. As they continued to whisper to each other, Marie quietly snuck back to her room and collapsed onto her bed.

The girl couldn't help but think what a shame it would be when they all woke up the next morning and Frederica and Kyle would return to bickering, insulting and taunting each other until Shao popped a vein.


	8. Smile

**Smile**

Frederica rarely smiled genuinely – this she could admit. If her face wasn't devoid of emotion, she was usually scowling or annoyed. When she did smile, it was mostly mocking – because really, who was better than her – but if you were lucky you would get a smirk.

"You can stop smiling now" Kyle grunted as she straddled him to the training room floor. His head was turned to the side and she could see the start of a blush dart across his cheeks – this only served to amuse Frederica more.

"Shut up and let me enjoy my moment will you?" the girl gloated, her smile widening at his obvious discomfort. She leaned over so her face was inches from his and he could feel her breath fan across his face, "am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Well I did promise you a reward if you managed to beat me" he replied, tilting his head slightly so his lips closed over hers. The two were so engrossed in each other that they didn't hear a third person enter.

"Fu-chan, Kyle-kun, dinners – eek" Marie covered her eyes and spun around with speed rivalling Kyle's, "I'm sorry, I didn't, I should've –" too mortified to continue, Marie darted out of the room before either occupants had time to react.

Finally getting off of Kyle, Frederica reached her hand down to help him up, "Someone's getting the firing squad tonight" she said, a gleam in her eye and the beginnings of a smile tugging at her lips.

Yes, Frederica rarely smiled, but without a doubt there's a handful that she specifically reserved those for.


End file.
